Image development system

ABSTRACT

AN IMPROVEMENT FOR REPRODUCING ONTO A COPY PAPER THE LATENT IMAGE OF AN ORIGINAL WHICH HAS BEEN PRODUCED BY THE REDUCED LAYER FORMATION PROCESS (RLF), WHICH COMPRISES TREATING THE ORIGINAL WITH OLEIC ACID, TRANSFERRING A LATENT OIL IMAGE ON THE ORIGINAL ONTO A COPY PAPER AND RENDERING THE TRANSFERRED LATENT OIL IMAGE ON THE COPY PAPER VISIBLE.

United States Patent 3,567,483 IMAGE DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM Frederick J.Stryker, San Jose, CalirZ, assignor to the United States of America asrepresented by the Secretary of the Army No Drawing. Filed Mar. 26,1968, Ser. No. 716,235 Int. Cl. B41m 5/02; B44d 5/04 US. Cl. 1171.7 2Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improvement for reproducing onto acopy paper the latent image of an original which has been produced bythe Reduced Layer Formation Process (RLF), which comprises treating theoriginal with oleic acid, transferring a latent oil image on theoriginal onto a copy paper and rendering the transferred latent oilimage on the copy paper visible.

This invention relates to an improvement for the reproduction of alatent oil image of an original document onto a copy paper and morespecifically to an improved process utilizing oleic acid to form thelatent oil image.

The RLF process developed by Abrams Games, which is the subject of Dutchpatent application 6,415,234, is one of the methods utilized toreproduce original designs such as letters, printed or duplicatedmatter, photographs, drawings or other specially prepared originalswhether on paper or other surfaces. The RLF process is based on thediscovery that the production of an original design may decrease theabsorbency of the surface to liquids in the image areas defining thedesign and that the resultant differential absorbency as between theimage and nonimage areas can be utilized in the production of copies.

The range of liquids which can be difierentially absorbed in the RIJFprocess depend on the nature of the surface and of the image. Ingeneral, the liquids utilized are colorless so as not to perceptiblymark the original, have little or no odor and are nontoxic. Suitableliquids include, for example, water, milk, diethylene glycol monethylether, glyceryl triacetate, glycerine, diethyl and dimethyl phthalates,and dilute benzoic acid.

One method in accordance with the RLF process comprises positioning alayer of a suitable liquid between the design bearing surface of theoriginal and a second surface in contact with the original. The effectof the differential absorption is that the layer of liquid is formedinto a pattern corresponding to the original design and when the secondsurface is removed, it carries with it a liquid pattern defining amirror image of the original design.

The resultant image on the copy paper is then rendered visible by theutilization of toner particles with the application of heat. The powdersutilized for the development of the image on the copy paper are resins,waxes, shellacs, dyes, particles of metal and the like.

While the Games patent literature list a wide variety of materials whichare operable in the RLF process, the literature appears to emphasize theuse of specific oils for a specifiic type of original.

It is an object of this invention to provide and disclose a universaloil for utilization in the RLF process operable with a variety oforiginals.

3,567,483 Patented Mar. 2, 1971 ice Other objects and a fullerunderstanding of the invention may be ascertained from the followingdescription and claims.

It has been found that oleic acid is substantially a universal oil fonthe treatment of most originals in the RLF process. The oleic acid maybe dissolved in alcohol, for example, 10-2()% by weight of oleic acid,and sprayed onto the image bearing original. Baker Analyzed Reagent 9400was the alcohol utilized. It is composed of parts by volume of analcohol made from a mixture of 95 parts by volume of ethanol and 5 partsby volume of methanol; and 5 parts by volume of 2-propanol. Any of thedenatured alcohol compositions are operable in the inventions. Inaddition, other lower alkyl alcohols may be substituted for isopropanoland ethanol. The latent image on the copy paper is subsequentlydeveloped by means of toners in accordance with the RLF process. In thealternative, the oleic acid may be applied undiluted to the original bymeans of a roller and the latent transferred image developed by means oftoners. In addition, the oleic acid may be utilized to serve as thecarrier for an iodine precursor which, when transferred to the copypaper, can be developed by a starch solution. The latter method is thesubject matter of copending patent application 716,236 filed Mar. 26,1968 by F. J. Stryker et al.

Illustrative examples of my process are set forth in Examples 1 and 2below:

EXAMPLE 1 Ten to twenty lambdas of oleic acid are applied to a flatmetal plate. -A suitable roller, e.g., a comet roller (urethanecomposition by Samuel Bingharn Co.) is rolled over the plate spreadingthe oleic acid over a surface of approximatelly 700 square centimeters.The roller is then rolled over the image containing original whichallows the roller to pick up a reversed, wrong reading, RLF image on itssurface, which when rolled onto a sheet of copy paper becomes, rightreading. The image is developed on the copy paper with any suitabletoner.

EXAMPLE 2 A small amount of a solution of 15% oleic acid, e.g., 1 to 3milliliters, is sprayed onto the image bearing original. The image isthen transferred with a comet roller to a copy paper. The image isdeveloped on the copy paper in accordance with the procedure describedin Example 1.

Oleic acid has enabled me to reproduce typings from a variety of bondpaper originals. In addition, oleic acid will reproduce sharp imagesfrom offset press generated originals, and letterpress originals frommagazines.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is understood that the foregoing is made to set forththe best mode contemplated in carrying out the invention and not as alimitation thereof, in that many modifications may be made in thecombination of proportions or in the application of the oil containingsolutions to the surfaces, without the vitiation of the operability ofthe invention.

Having described my invention, 1 claim:

1. In a process for the reproduction of a latent oil image from anoriginal onto a second-surface comprising: the application of a liquidto the surface of the original having a differential absorbency asbetween the image and 4 nonimage areas thereby forming a liquid patterncorre- References Cited sponding to the image, contacting the originalwith the FOREIGN PATENTS second-surface whereby a layer of the llquidpattern corresponding to the original image is transferred to the1091501 12/1967 Great second-surface and rendering the transferred imagevisible, the improvement wherein the applied liquid is oleic 5 WILLIAMMARTIN Primary Examiner acid. J. CABIC, Assistant Examiner 2. Theimprovement of claim 1 wherein the applied liquid is a solutionconsisting of 10-20% by weight of US. Cl. X.R.

oleic acid dissolved in an alkyl alcohol having 1-3 car- 10 37 bonatoms.

